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Xbox One service matches you with players who share your tastes
Matchmaking in video games usually involves little more than the games you play and your skill level. Wouldn't it be nice if you could meet gamers who genuinely share a lot of things in common? Overdog thinks so -- it just launched an app for Xbox One Preview Program members that helps you find players based on their tastes in fields like music, movies and (of course) games. If you want to find a Destiny raid buddy who's into dance music, hockey and Star Wars, you probably can. Overdog won't be truly ready for action until the finished March Xbox One update hits, but it'll spread to other platforms some time after that.
Overdog matchmaking app to pair up online players with similar interests
If you play against an opponent in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, it's safe to assume you found someone who has similar taste in games. But what about the rest of life? Are they still trying to unravel every last plot point of Lost like you? Are they big on the Seattle Seahawks, and can they get down with your guilty pleasure, Kesha? An upcoming Xbox One app from Overdog is designed to help answer those questions and pair players up according to matched tastes in entertainment. GamesBeat reports that a recent funding round has brought in $1.8 million for Overdog, which includes investments from Zynga co-founder Mark Pincus and Machinima co-founder Allen DeBevoise. Overdog told GamesBeat that the funds will go to marketing, additional hiring and the development of their app for a second, unspecified platform. Overdog's website states that its app is due within December 2014 on Xbox One, and Overdog president Hunter Hillenmeyer added that the team hopes to "improve matchmaking for online games across all platforms, whether that's Xbox, PlayStation, mobile and tablet, or even some virtual reality ecosystem that has yet to materialize." [Image: Microsoft]
Former NFL player looks to unite athletes and gamers with 'OverDog'
Hunter Hillenmeyer spent eight years in the NFL as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears. For five of those years, he served as a player rep, which he describes as a "liaison between players and everything else that goes on, whether that's labor relations or off-the-field opportunities."Aside from public appearances and social media, fans don't have many ways to interact with their favorite athletes on a personal level. Hillenmeyer argues there are "better, more fun, more efficient ways to connect athletes with fans." He sees an opportunity for video games to fill that role, and that's where his new service called OverDog comes in.Teaming up with a number of developers and gathering advice from fellow professional athletes, Hillenmeyer's plan is to launch the beta version of a mobile app for iOS in April and deploying to Android users later. Athletes looking for some competition in their favorite games can challenge fans through the app, and one lucky fan will have the chance to battle against sports stars on the athlete's game and platform of choice.
